Bintang

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

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(9)

3 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

Immune to the vagaries of fashion and the march of inflation, Bintang hasn't changed its kitsch interior - or its prices - in years. Sandwiched in a run-down row of shops, its tiny dining room is a hospitable jumble of bamboo cladding, tribal masks, lanterns and fairy lights. The pan-Asian menu is equally esoteric, with mains ranging from lemongrass-infused curries to laksa; the star turn is whole baked sea bass for under a tenner. Starters are less inspired, and often deep-fried: prawn toast, pakoras, spring rolls and the like. The modest proces and BYO policy mean the place is often overrun with raucous parties; if the decibels become unbearable, head to the basement or retreat into the garden.

Ate at Bintang, Kentish Town for the first time tonight. I hadn't taken my wife out in a while and wanted to find a new Malay style place so searched the internet and found Bintang.

Before I begin I would like point out that I'm not a particularly fussy eater or complainer.

I booked before turning up and was seated pretty quickly. It's a small place but pretty cosy. We ordered a quarter crispy duck as a starter, a Laksa (soupy dish) and Beef Bulgogi and two non-alcoholic mocktails.

The food turned up all at once rather than the starter first, so table was pretty cramped. Nearly all the dishes turned up cold so had to send them back one by one to be reheated. I was very annoyed at the portion size of the beef dish, I paid £9 and got like 3 small pieces beef in it. The portion size for duck dish was under average and pancakes to accompany the dish tasted artificial, like out of a packet and came stone cold as opposed to steamed. The soup was ok but gave me the runs after unfortunately, from which I'm still feeling the affects. The drinks were probably the best bit. Total bill approx £38.50 .

It will be the first and last time I will be visiting this place. Overpriced for what it is. A fancy menu but does not deliver on expectation. If you know your food then you will not be wowed by this place. Mostly disappointed with fact that the food was not served in order, turned up cold, portion sizes were meager and that I have diarrhoea now.

Dreadful!!! Awful food and horrible sauces. Service was very poor too. Prices are not low. For years and years this place served great Indonesian food with a cheerful atmosphere. NOT ANY MORE!!!. We had salmon sashimi and chicken liver popcorn. Both came swathed in nasty mayonnaise type sauces which tasted of nothing except oil. The lamb rendang was truly terrible. REALLY tough with no spice flavour at all, just loads of in-yer-face coconut. Yuk!!. Even the coconut rice was terrible - all thin, wet and swimming in coconut water. The main course arrived before we had finished our first course and the plates were pulled away from us by the waitress. No prawn crackers these days. The menu is no longer Indonesian but I think what they call ‘fusion - a nasty mixture of cheap supermarket ingredients. KEEP AWAY FROM THIS PLACE and save your money for something better.

The prices are low here but the food is not great. Sauces are supermarket bought and ingredients generally are poor quality. I feel sorry for the staff as the owner keeps the tips, this is a big no no in my opinion.
Reading some reviews here makes me wonder if they went to this place.

Cheap and cheerful is my description of Bintang. Don;t expect lots of fresh ingredients, fish is frozen or dried, Squid had little taste, and their sauces are from the corner shop. I have been to several similar places when I was a poor student but those days are well gone. Maybe skip past this one.

After our disastrous food experience at Bintang I felt compelled to sign up to Timeout and register my huge disatisfaction with the place. No need for me to complain at length except to say that all the negative posts here are true. We felt cheated.

I had such an amazing experience at Bintang! It was by far the best Asian restaurant I've ever been to. From the interior, to the service to the food, EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING. The Korean chicken dish was the most delicious chicken I have ever tasted in my life and I have eaten ALOT of chicken. And their mocktails!! my God, those mocktails were amazing, I recommend the Lychee Mojito! Also, the portion sizes are HUGE, you will most likely be taking leftovers home so don't order extra sides unless you have a big appetite. For the price, it is SO SO worth it!

Have you ever had that awkward moment when you where in a restaurant and it was so good that you though that your mom was in the kitchen?
I had that feeling in Bintang.
The good news is also that you can bring your own whine. Love the place. Love the ambience. I will definitely return to Bintang. Duh! - I highly recommend!

It's great to be able to have a casual meal out with friends, knowing your dinner is going to be delicious and affordable. Bintang is a cosy, little joint. The service is good and you can have excellent wine with your meal because it is BYO. We had the squid, edamame beans and tempura for starters. Very tasty. There is a good choice of main courses. I definitely recommend our selection: Bintang king prawns and sea bass, one baked, one steamed. The selection of vegetables and desserts is limited. Other than that, I have only praise for Bintang.

Have been here once only, and I say its been great!
Especially LOVED their Chicken lemongrass with rice! Seriously a MUST try!!!!! Service - was good. We were well looked after.
Small place, simple, cheap and delicious :)
Great !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went to Bintang on 30.04.2011. The food was, warm, tasteless and overall disappointing and the general service was very poor. In fact we were given our bill when we had not yet finished our time at the table; we had not asked for it; it was only 09:50 p.m. and the resturant was not even that busy. The guy in charge just laughed this point off and so we left and did not pay the gratuity fee as there was little to be grateful for. A message to the Owner, If your staff cannot be civil you will end up losing custom. Customer care should not discriminate! 0/10